electric commute

[Kal (Andrew)]

I recently bought myself an electric bicycle and today I rode it to work, approximately 17 kilometers. It took me 45 minutes to ride to work, which is the exact same time it took me to drive to work on Monday (drive ranges between 25 mins and 50 mins depending on traffic, usually 25 mins if I leave late and miss the morning rush)

I pedaled most of the way assisting the motor, but not to the point where I felt tired when I got to work. The electric motor really helps on the hills though My goal is currently not to ride to work every day, just to commute twice a week.

Some details about the bike:

Green e-wheels bike with a 200W geared brushless motor in the rear hub (the max power limit for NSW), 10Ah Li-ion batteries, bought off ebay (seller has been around for 3 years selling these bikes).

[Liz]

Thats excellent Andrew

[lacad01 (Adam)]

Good stuff Andrew, does it have an internal charging mechanism at all i.e. from the pedal power? Also, how do find the commute in terms of safety on the roads? I live in the Inner West and work at St Leonards, tried riding a few times but was too dangerous, especially after being hit by a car

[Kal (Andrew)]

In terms of electric power - it is one speed (max 25km/h by electric only). It has a 6 speed shimano set of gears for pedaling as well, so with a gentle pedal in top gear I would probably cruise at low to mid 30's speed wise.

[Kal (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by lacad01

Good stuff Andrew, does it have an internal charging mechanism at all i.e. from the pedal power? Also, how do find the commute in terms of safety on the roads? I live in the Inner West and work at St Leonards, tried riding a few times but was too dangerous, especially after being hit by a car

It doesn't have any regenerative charging - can only recharge it with the supplied 240V recharger. It has a range of about 50k's with pedal assist, or about 35-40K's if you just use the electric. I want a bit of exercise, so I pedal while I ride.

75% of my route is along bike paths (or shared walking/bike paths) - another 15% would be roads where there is a bike lane, and the other 10% would be roads (the bit near my house on residential streets). Sydney has a decent bike path network out west and there are many bike paths into Parramatta which is close to where I work.

Sorry to hear that you got hit by a car, must have been a nasty experience.

[lacad01 (Adam)]

Pretty good range

Originally Posted by Kal

Sorry to hear that you got hit by a car, must have been a nasty experience.

Thankfully was relatvely low speed impact but had some nasty scrapes and bruises

[Kal (Andrew)]

I've ridden to work a couple of times now and it is quite enjoyable. I look forward to days with a fine and clear forecast. Trust me to buy an electric bike in what is traditionally Sydneys wettest month though!

A couple of other stats - the 35km drive to work and back uses around $4 worth of fuel - the electric bike uses about 12 cents of electricity for the same trip. Top speed on the flat electric only is 27km/h as measured by my gps.

I was cycling behind two police officers on bicycles this morning. I slowed down, didn't want to go flying past them I was also catching up to a lycra wearing cyclist on the bike path below the M4 motorway, and I wasn't even peddling

[Waxing_Gibbous (Peter)]

Top stuff.
This type of sensible comu-cycling really makes a genuine environmental difference, as opposed to those Lycra-clad clowns who drive their bikes to the nearest rally point.